TST Member Review - Tee Claw

[dkolo]

Product Name: Tee Claw
Product Type: Practice Equipment
Product Website/URL: teeclaw.com
Cost: $9.99 - $14.95 (various retailers)

Ratings (out of 5): 
Value: 5 ($9.99), 3 ($14.95)
Effectiveness: 5
Durability: 5
Esthetic Appeal: 4

Link to Discussion Thread

 

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My Member Review

Being from the Northeast, almost all driving ranges available around here make you hit off of range mats instead of grass. I don't mind having to hit irons off of the mat versus grass as much as some people do, but one of my biggest gripes comes up whenever I need to hit a ball off of a tee, as with a driver or a wood. I'm always at the mercy of whatever rubber tees are available at that driving range. Sometimes, my stall won't have a tee at all; other times, it'll have one that's entirely the wrong height. "Is this tee for my driver or for a kid's tee ball league?" I'll find myself asking when I'm stuck hitting off of a far-too-high tee. It'd be great if I could just stick a tee in the ground and adjust the height of my tee the way I would if I were playing out on the golf course. I've resorted to schlepping my own rubber tees with me that I've cut to the correct height, but if I go somewhere with different thickness mats, I run into the same problems all over again. 

I had the opportunity over the past few weeks to test the Tee Claw as part of a TST member review. When I heard about the Tee Claw, I was instantly drawn to the idea. The basic concept of it is that it's a small device that attaches to most range mats and allows you to use real golf tees on the range that you can then adjust to your preferred height. The device itself is pretty simple: it consists of a small round plastic disk with four serrated hooks that allow you to twist the device into the scruffy fabric of most range mats. The center of the Tee Claw has a softer silicone with a hole into which you can insert a tee. The Tee Claw itself comes with a few different length tees, but you can take any tee you own and use it with the device, adjusting its length to suit your own needs. 

Using the Tee Claw over the past few weeks, I've been very much enjoying how it's given me the peace of mind to know that whenever I go to the driving range, I won't have to walk up and down the range scouring for the right-size tee, resorting to trial and error and digging around under the muddy mats. And I can switch between my driver and my 3 wood easily by just swapping in the correct-length tee. No more scrounging around for the one short tee at the driving range just to hit a couple 3 woods. 

When you hit off of the Tee Claw, much like on the golf course, subject to how you deliver the club, the tee will either stay in the ground or it'll fly off. I was worried I'd lose a lot more tees at the driving range, but for the most part my tees either fly backwards or they stay in the device. 

The Tee Claw also comes with an anchor cord that you can use to attach it to a fixed object or tuck underneath the mat as a backup to ensure that the Tee Claw doesn't go flying away on you if you hit a catastrophically bad shot and hit the claw itself. It hasn't come into play yet in my experience but it's great to know that it's there and that I don't have to worry about the Tee Claw flying down the driving range and my having to do a walk of shame to get it. 

The Tee Claw comes three to a box, and while I haven't needed more than one claw on the range, using a couple Tee Claws together make for a great alignment aid for putting practice. The Tee Claws grab onto carpet for in-home practice just as well as they do on the driving range, so connecting two Tee Claws via an anchor cord works great for me when I'm practicing starting lines for my putts in the basement. I've also used the Tee Claw on the driving range to use the anchor cord for alignment. It's a surprisingly versatile product for something as facially simple as a better tee. 

I have to say, I was instantly excited about the Tee Claw upon hearing about it, and I'm somehow even more impressed by the product after having tried it for the past month. It's built exceedingly well and it works just as well as advertised. It's a tremendous product that solves a very real annoyance for many golfers. I'd hate to go to the driving range without it. 

Thanks to TST and Tee Claw for the generous opportunity to test the Tee Claw over the past month!

[iacas]

Did you use the Tee Claw to mark lines on the ground for alignment, clubhead path, etc.? It doesn't seem as though you've used it for that at all.

[dkolo]

On 3/12/2016 at 3:57 PM, iacas said:

Did you use the Tee Claw to mark lines on the ground for alignment, clubhead path, etc.? It doesn't seem as though you've used it for that at all.

Sorry for not getting back to this sooner; I've been away on vacation in Hawaii.

Yes I have! I'll get some pictures of that up when I hit the range next because I only brought one Tee Claw with me when I took photos, but it's really great for when I go to one particular driving range where the targets are all over the place and I have to figure out alignment for each different target that I hit to for different clubs. I've always hated using clubs for alignment purposes because I find that I get in my head about clipping it. This is a much more elegant solution because I can stick a tee in a Tee Claw string and wedge it under a mat, with the other end of attached to the Tee Claw. And @Tee Claw was absolutely right: spending the past two weeks in California and Hawaii, the land of the grass driving ranges, I picked up a whole baggie-ful of broken tee pieces for use with the Tee Claw for the upcoming season back here in the Northeast, where mats rule the driving range game. 

[dkolo]

Having used them now for the better part of a year, I'm still quite impressed by their durability. Despite it being a plastic item with thin parts that get a lot of stress, I have to report that I haven't had any issues with breakage of the product yet. Remarkable!

[Hacker James]

Other than Amazon, where can you find these? 

[dennyjones]

7 minutes ago, Hacker James said:

Other than Amazon, where can you find these? 

Walmart now carries them.   I bought mine right from their website; teeclaw.com

[Hacker James]

1 minute ago, dennyjones said:

Walmart now carries them.   I bought mine right from their website; teeclaw.com

OK thanks.

[dkolo]

3 hours ago, Hacker James said:

Other than Amazon, where can you find these? 

They were running a sale down to $10 through their site a little while ago, but they're still cheaper than they were at launch, I believe

[Hacker James]

9 hours ago, dkolo said:

They were running a sale down to $10 through their site a little while ago, but they're still cheaper than they were at launch, I believe

I saw where Walmart has them a different prices depending on the color starting at $8.05 for green.

[Hacker James]

10 hours ago, dkolo said:

They were running a sale down to $10 through their site a little while ago, but they're still cheaper than they were at launch, I believe

I just placed online order for free pickup at Walmart Store. $8.67 including tax

 

Edited January 17, 2017 by Hacker James

[dkolo]

1 hour ago, Hacker James said:

I just placed online order for free pickup at Walmart Store. $8.67 including tax

 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

[Hacker James]

9 minutes ago, dkolo said:

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

yah, me too. It was your post that was decisive for me. 

[Hacker James]

okay, got it a day early. Perfect!

although I ordered in green (the least expensive), they sent me a package of mixed (Green,Yellow, White). Contains three claws, three tee's in three different lengths, four lanyards with sewn in loops at both ends. Works good, highly recommended.

another benefit is that you place them anywhere on a mat, not restricted to a fixed location as with the commercial rubber tees.

Edited January 18, 2017 by Hacker James

[Hacker James]

apologies for late and duplicate response on this. I noticed that I had briefly posted some time back, but I had forgotten about it. At the time, it was only of passing interest, but recently it came back into vogue as the requirement  for different tee heights for the various types of clubs. Also reading more of the posts and the possible uses for alignment purposes. I was delighted as to its versatility after receiving the product and also note that some of the concerns others have provided have been addressed on the latest packaging.  That, and the fact that I was able to purchase for nearly half the original sales price didn't hurt either.  

[dkolo]

4 hours ago, Hacker James said:

apologies for late and duplicate response on this. I noticed that I had briefly posted some time back, but I had forgotten about it. At the time, it was only of passing interest, but recently it came back into vogue as the requirement  for different tee heights for the various types of clubs. Also reading more of the posts and the possible uses for alignment purposes. I was delighted as to its versatility after receiving the product and also note that some of the concerns others have provided have been addressed on the latest packaging.  That, and the fact that I was able to purchase for nearly half the original sales price didn't hurt either.  

I'm going to wind up gifting a set of these to my girlfriend, who loves to hit her 3W and 5W on the range (as in, 3/4 of her bucket with those), and the ranges never have the right size tee for her. Bingo, bango, problem solved!

[Hacker James]

I am going to have to back track a little. Although, very versatile, and really a good product, I have a little troubles in keeping tees, they break frequently and inside the holder, or go flying away. Mostly it is due to my own swing path being not as upwards as some, mine is more inline, or even slightly down. I have no problem in getting the ball up however. I think one solution would be is to find the optimum length tee that you can place in the holder shallow enough so it will not break or perhaps make it easier to groove a driver swing that goes a little upwards. The idea for using them as alignment is excellent. I am still satisfied with the product itself.

[Hacker James]

at a risk of going on and on about this......I had a rather "a ha" moment. 

Last year I installed artificial turf in the back yard over a compacted clay foundation. The turf is very realistic, but doesn't permit using a normal tee stuck into the ground owing to the thin backing and firm foundation.  My recourse was to use mats on top of the turf. The makers of The Tee Claw, state that various mats will produce different results.  I then looked one day and I realized that why use a mat when I can simply twist the claw directly into the turf?   It does work rather well, and although the claw will usually come loose, it does not go very far because it is tethered to another. The biggest benefit is that the tee stays intact with the claw and the whole assembly only flies a few inches and takes only a second to twist back into place.

More importantly, I do not have an elevated tee due to a mat, nor do I have to stand on a second mat.  This is more like an actual teeing ground at the golf course.

big  DUH!

Edited January 22, 2017 by Hacker James

[dkolo]

8 hours ago, Hacker James said:

at a risk of going on and on about this......I had a rather "a ha" moment. 

Last year I installed artificial turf in the back yard over a compacted clay foundation. The turf is very realistic, but doesn't permit using a normal tee stuck into the ground owing to the thin backing and firm foundation.  My recourse was to use mats on top of the turf. The makers of The Tee Claw, state that various mats will produce different results.  I then looked one day and I realized that why use a mat when I can simply twist the claw directly into the turf?   It does work rather well, and although the claw will usually come loose, it does not go very far because it is tethered to another. The biggest benefit is that the tee stays intact with the claw and the whole assembly only flies a few inches and takes only a second to twist back into place.

More importantly, I do not have an elevated tee due to a mat, nor do I have to stand on a second mat.  This is more like an actual teeing ground at the golf course.

big  DUH!

See, now I feel silly -- you've managed to do a more thorough review of this product than all of the official reviewers did put together. Way to throw down the gauntlet for the future!